This post was created in partnership with Clover Organic Dairy. All opinions are my own.
Good morning from back in LA! It was a cozy and sweet week on Maui, filled with north shore rainstorms, crystalline south side beach trips, and the deep, restorative quiet of nights in Ulupalakua, where I grew up. The quiet in Ulu is transcendent, filling, steady. It simultaneously demands nothing and creates space for deep reflection. I’m in awe of the life my father and his partner Susan have created there, stillness flourishing amidst the cattle ranch and vineyards.
Susan and my father and I spent a lot of time sharing stories about our past few weeks, the state of our hearts and minds post-election, their time in a meditation retreat, joy over the news of their engagement. The holidays provide such a sweet space to come together, to ask difficult questions of ourselves, to discover the people we love anew.
We also spent a considerable amount of time chatting about how we find ourselves called to take action in our communities, how we can do better by each other as humans. These small moments of reflecting, of telling stories, of listening to what matters most in that moment, give me so much joy. As did the opportunity to cook a few meals for them, immersing myself in the very same kitchen where I first learned to cook.
This time of year always presents memory in tidal doses, wave after wave of holiday traditions and family meals held in somatic and sensorial remembrance, surfacing again and again. In the years after my mom died, I mostly shied away from our family traditions—it was just too painful to face them. But this year feels different. This year, I want to resurrect some of those family traditions, particularly as part of Clover Organic Dairy’s Family Traditions project.
So while I’ll always look to conversation and storytelling to bring family together, there are a few dishes I’m excited to bring back into the mix this winter. A long-treasured family linzertorte recipe (dense almond cookie layered with raspberry jam, plus a beautiful lattice top), my mom’s favorite banana bread, her lentil walnut loaf, and, the perennial staple: A good frittata, for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.
Here, the sweetness of roasted squash and fennel pairs dreamily with Clover’s luscious and tangy organic sour cream, elevating a simple dish to new complexity. I love the sharpness of shallot vinaigrette on the abundant herb salad on top—plus a hefty dollop of sour cream to finish. The addition of fennel frond and fresh dill in the salad brings depth and lightness to the flavor profile, so that there is never a dull bite.
I’m excited to return to family traditions, to make them new and precious, to find my own way around them. And to be able to source ingredients from a company as pure and close to home as Clover. They’ve long been my go-to for staples like organic sour cream and whipping cream, and I know these ingredients will go far over this next month of holiday life (helloooo latkes with apple sauce and sour cream!).
But for now: Frittata. Frittata for slow mornings of storytelling and heart remembering with family. Frittata for nights when we need nourishing, simple food in between holiday parties. Frittata for the space to remember what’s important.
ROASTED DELICATA SQUASH & FENNEL FRITTATA WITH HERB SALAD.
Ingredients
roasted squash and fennel
- 1 medium delicata squash
- 1 medium bulb fennel fronds reserved
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon flaky or kosher sea salt
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
frittata
- 12 large eggs
- ½ cup Clover organic sour cream plus lots for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 cup grated parmesan divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup minced shallot
herb salad
- 6-7 cups baby arugula
- 1 tablespoon chopped fennel frond
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
herb salad dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 2 pinches sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Trim and slice delicate squash lengthwise, then deseed and slice in ¼-inch crescents. Thinly slice fennel bulb, reserving fronds for the salad. Lay squash crescents and fennel on the parchment in a single layer, and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat evenly, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Reduce heat to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream, salt, and pepper until completely homogenous. Stir in ¾ cup of the grated parmesan cheese.
- Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet or other ovenproof frying pan, and swirl to coat bottom and sides. Add ¼ cup minced shallot and sauté over medium heat until tender and beginning to brown.
- Transfer the roasted squash and fennel to the pan. Pour in the egg mixture, and cook the frittata over medium heat, without stirring, until its edges begin to set, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the top with the remaining ¼ cup of parmesan cheese and transfer skillet to oven.
- Bake the frittata until it’s puffy and golden brown and the center is set, 22-25 minutes.
- While the frittata bakes, toss the arugula, fennel frond, and dill in a medium bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, and toss the salad, with dressing to taste, just before serving.
